Time Of Your Life
by DragonShadow
Summary: Years after the world was turned upside down, Stan and Wendy come home


Time Of Your Life (RM)  
  
  
The twilight sun shown down sharply as the red convertible drove over the small hill. It glinted off of the pure white snow that always blanketed the ground in this small Colorado town, almost as though it wanted nothing more than to turn it into a giant frozen wasteland. Instead though the citizens stayed, and it was always simply passed off. The car passed by a wooden sign, it was now rotted through from insects and constant weather damage, but it was still readable. "Welcome to South Park"  
  
At the top of the small hill the car skidded to a stop on a patch of ice, nearly sending it sliding all the way down to the town they were now looking out over. A man and a woman climbed out of their car slowly and walked up to look out over the small town with smiles on their faces. Memories flowed through their minds as they looked over the familiar buildings, some good, some bad, but all of them welcome after such a long absence.  
  
"It's been a long time." Stan Marsh said to his wife as he turned his head to glance at her quickly. Wendy was holding a small bundle to her chest gently as she stared out over the small town. Her hand gently stroked the top of the blanket, as though she was still trying to soothe it.  
  
"Yeah... it's amazing too. It's been ten years, but it doesn't look like anything's changed does it?" She asked curiously. Indeed, as they looked over the town little looked like it had felt the effects of time. Everything was as it had been, but somehow it also seemed more aged and weathered.  
  
"Well we're not going to find out just hanging around here are we?" Stan reached over to take one of his wife's hands in his own before they started down toward the small town. They knew everyone in South Park, so they knew nobody would bother trying to take the car. They wouldn't be here too long anyway, and if they did stay the night they could move it down into town.  
  
As they walked Stan looked to their side, stopping in his tracks when he saw two gray mounds in the snow on top of another nearby hill. Silently he squeezed his wife's hand and gestured toward the mounds to call her attention to it.  
  
"They're still there..." Wendy said softly to herself as she turned to head off the paved street toward the two stones. The snow crunched softly under their feet while they approached the stones. By now the letters on each of their surfaces was legible. The first read 'Kenny McCormick: sleep well child, the lord holds thee now'. The second was the one Wendy walked up to and kneeled down in front of carefully. It read 'Gregory Shaiman: A good man, with a confused heart'.  
  
"Yeah, it's been too long since we've visited." Stan agreed as he walked up behind his wife, putting one hand on her shoulder gently. The air was cool, and they weren't used to it anymore after ten years of living in Tennessee, but it didn't affect them too much.  
  
"Sorry to drag us off course." Wendy looked back up at him with an apologetic smile. Stan smiled back understandingly and knelt down to take the heavily blanketed bundle from her. The child squirmed and gave a small groan in defiance at being taken from its mother, but he otherwise remained calm enough.  
  
"Don't worry about it, we're here to visit old friends after all." He gave her a sly wink as he stood up in the snow again. "We'll wait for you at my old place since it was my parents who called us out here." Wendy smiled back gratefully and nodded before she turned back to the gravestone in front of her. Stan turned with his son in his arms to walk toward the town itself, still remembering the way after so long. He'd spent so much of his life here, he would never forget it.  
  
Stan and Wendy had left South Park when they'd turned fifteen, deciding to go ahead and strike out on their own and get their own jobs. Stan had hit it fairly lucky in Tennessee, becoming a mildly successful guitarist. It was nothing big, just an odd job or two around town, birthday parties mostly, but he liked the feeling of making his own money instead of having it all handed to him. Wendy however, was certainly not content to be a housewife while he ran around and played his music, so she took advantage of her almost flutelike voice and became a singer. They rarely performed together of course, because "Being home with each other will drive a couple nuts, being at work together will drive them apart." About a year ago Wendy had gotten pregnant and had a healthy baby boy nine months later. She'd named the child, and Stan hadn't complained for even an instant. Now they were back in South Park by invitation at the age of twenty-five.  
  
Stan snapped out of his reverie when he reached the familiar front yard of his parents' house. A very strong feeling of Nostalgia gripped his heart as he walked up to the door and knocked loudly. He could hear a commotion inside, probably the welcoming committee.  
  
He wasn't disappointed when the door finally opened to let the light from inside stream out over him, blocked only by a single figure in the doorway. He smiled warmly as his old friend reached out to take one hand in a firm shake.  
  
"Bout time you made your way back here." Kyle grinned as he moved to the side to let Stan go in. "Starting to think you forgot about all of us poor bastards trapped in this small town." He commented as he shut the door behind them.  
  
"Nah just trying to." Stan joked with a similar smile while he scanned the room. His parents sat on the sofa, watching him with warm smiles on each of their aged, worn looking faces. They didn't look like scary grandparents though, so he decided to let them look at the kid, wouldn't scare him too much. He was a bit surprised to see Shelly and Bebe talking with each other near the door to the kitchen.  
  
"It's been a long time Stanley." Stan's father, Randy said from the couch with a sly grin on his face.  
  
"We've just been kind of busy..." Stan replied with a sheepish grin.  
  
"Woohoo!" Before Stan could even react Bebe swooped into him like a vulture and plucked the bundled up baby from his arms, spinning in place and cooing happily as she stared at him. "Awwww how cute! He has Wendy's eyes!" She commented with a grin, poking around in the blanket. Finally one little fist slammed into the very tip of her finger, bending it backward the wrong way. "OW!"  
  
"Got her attitude too." Shelly remarked drolly, though she too had a smile on her face as she watched the infant try to squirm free from Bebe's grasp.  
  
"You know that kid's going to be a monster when it grows up." Kyle remarked as though he were pointing out the meaning of life.  
  
"We already have a leash picked out." Stan smirked as he turned back to his friend. "So how about you? Anything new going on around South Park?"  
  
"Actually it's been pretty quiet since you and Wendy left." Kyle said as he shot his friend a meaningful glance.  
  
"She'll be here in a little while, she had to make a stop just outside of town." Stan explained his wife's absence quickly.  
  
"Ah, yeah I thought she might want to pay her respects after so long." Kyle nodded gravely and looked over at Stan's parents. "You know... things have actually calmed down a lot since all of that happened... it's like all the fucked up shit that kept happening... stopped."  
  
"Yeah I know what you mean, we thought of that too." Stan said thoughtfully. "Who cares though? We're married, we're happy, and life is great all around." He said firmly. Kyle smiled back somewhat stiffly and nodded in agreement though his eyes looked troubled. Before Stan could ask about that the front door was flung open and a familiar hulking figure tromped inside.  
  
"There you are boy!" A pair of muscular arms wrapped around Stan quickly, crushing him to a body that seemed to be built like a tree trunk. When he finally let go of his iron grip Stan stumbled back a bit, forcing himself to smile up at his accidental assailant.  
  
"Hey uncle Jimbo." Stan gasped out when he was finally able to pull air into his lungs again.  
  
"Hey Ned get your ass in here! He's actually back!" The woodsman and war vet shouted excitedly back at his long time buddy and constant companion.  
  
Ned walked up behind the much bigger man with a smile on his face. He lifted the electronic voice box so as to put out his monotone, static-ridden voice. "Hello Stan, it's good to see you." His voice sounded amid the electrical interference.  
  
"Hey Ned." Stan barely got the words out before his uncle gripped his shoulder like he'd just caught hold of a thief running from the law.  
  
"Come on boy, we have a lot of drinking to catch up on. You've been legal for years and we haven't been out once!" Jimbo exclaimed as though that was the worst sin he'd ever heard of.  
  
"Drinking? But I can't what about..." Stan looked over at his son, still being cuddled, poked, prodded, tickled, and generally annoyed by Shelly and Bebe over on the other side of the room.  
  
"Don't worry about it, I'll keep an eye on him until Wendy gets here." Kyle volunteered with an understanding smile. "By the way, what IS his name? You don't just call him kiddo or something do you?"  
  
"Gregory." Stan said seriously. Kyle blinked in surprise and even Bebe paused to give him a silent glance. After a few moments Stans old friend simply smiled and nodded his head in acceptance.  
  
"What the hell happened to the atmosphere in here? We need some booze STAT! Come on!" With that Jimbo, not so much led, as forced Stan out into the street in front of him with one strong arm on his back. Kyle waved cheerfully to his friend, as he was drug out into the cold snowy street. He just hoped Wendy wouldn't freak out when she realized he'd had to leave.  
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Wendy ran up to the door and knocked loudly, shivering and hugging herself as the sun began to set, and the cold of the night set in. She'd been away from south Park far too long, she couldn't even take fifteen minutes without nearly freezing to death. She breathed a sigh of relief when Kyle opened the door to let her in.  
  
"Thanks." She said gratefully as she brushed past him. No sooner was she in the living room than both Shelly and Bebe were on top of her, asking questions about the childbirth and what it was like raising a kid and, much to Shelly's dismay, how Stan was in bed. After a few moments they realized they were interrupting each other and turned on each other, barking like a pair of rabid dogs fighting over a piece of steak.  
  
Gracefully Wendy managed to scoop her son out of Bebe's arms and whirl past the two warring women, leaving them to battle it out among themselves while she made her way to the other side of the room. Kyle followed behind her, tapping her on the shoulder and smiling down at her now that the commotion had been mostly taken care of.  
  
"Hey there." He wrapped his arms around her in a familiar hug as much as the baby would allow before she pulled back, smiling back up at him while he examined Gregory. "He looks just like you." He commented.  
  
"Yeah well I think it comes from being his mother." She confirmed with a playful nod before she realized her husband was nowhere in sight. "Where did Stan run off to?" She groaned.  
  
"His uncle Jimbo showed up before you did and decided to make up for lost time." Kyle replied with a wry smirk.  
  
"Ah, say no more." Wendy replied ironically. She knew how hard it was to say no to the ape of a man when he had his mind set on something. She looked down at her son when he startled sniffling, then burst into a loud wail from the commotion on the other side of the room. "Hey come on now... calm down." She told him gently as she went into the dining where it was quieter. Kyle followed behind her to continue their conversation.  
  
She sat down on a chair next to the table and gently rocked her child in her arms, singing a soft lullaby that seemed to defy time and remain a constant favorite. "Hush little baby don't you cry, momma's gonna sing you a lullaby. If that lullaby makes you cry, momma's brain is soon gonna fry."  
  
"Excuse me?" Kyle quirked one eyebrow in amusement as he pulled out a chair and sat down on it backwards.  
  
"It doesn't matter what you sing, it's just the tone of your voice that puts them to sleep." Wendy explained. Kyle nodded silently and settled down to watch her continue her singing. "Hush little baby don't say a word, momma's gonna buy you a mockingbird. If that mockingbird don't sing, momma's gonna buy you a diamond ring."  
  
"You're great at that." Kyle said admiringly.  
  
"I get a lot of practice, well I used to before Gregory." She frowned down at the child playfully, then smiled as she noticed his eyes were half-closed, already well on his way into dreamland.  
  
"I meant with Gregory. No matter what my mom did Ike would always stay up crying at all hours of the night." Kyle corrected her.  
  
"Oh... well having a son kind of gives you a reason to practice that too." Wendy said ironically. "Speaking of taking care of babies, tell me, is there a Mrs. Broflofski yet?" She asked slyly.  
  
"No..." Kyle replied softly. She stared at him for a few minutes, seeing the almost forlorn expression in his face as he watched her holding her son.  
  
"Sorry to hear that..." She told him as she started rocking Gregory in her arms again, though he was deeply asleep by now. "You know you can go do something, there are all those people in the other room, you don't have to watch me." She told Kyle.  
  
"I know, I was just thinking... Stan's more like a brother to me than my adopted or biological brothers are... that makes him my nephew." He pointed at Gregory.  
  
"And you my brother!" Wendy exclaimed in a mock-horrified voice. She smiled a moment later though to make sure he knew she was only joking. She quirked an eyebrow when she noticed his mischievous expression.  
  
"So nobody's told you why you're out here yet?" He asked. His grin only widened when Wendy shook her head in response. "Cartman's getting married soon." He told her.  
  
"You're kidding." Wendy smiled incredulously at the news, not really believing it. "Who did he rope? Or who managed to rope him?" She asked curiously.  
  
"Shelly." Kyle's eyes stayed on hers to take in her reaction. Her expression of fear this time was completely genuine as the impact of that registered. She was married to Stan and Shelly was Stan's brother... Cartman was going to be related to them.  
  
"Oh there's a relative I DON'T need filling my son's head with ideas, at least we're leaving before he can cause any harm." She said with a smirk. "Has anybody told Stan yet?"  
  
"Nobody had a chance, Jimbo dragged him out of here too fast." Kyle told her.  
  
"Probably for the best, I'll tell him later." Wendy remarked.  
  
"I'd wait until tomorrow, knowing his uncle Jimbo he'll probably be wasted by the time he gets home." Kyle said ironically.  
  
"Maybe, you'd be surprise though. He's pretty good at holding his liquor." Wendy said slyly. "Trust me, he was the only person at last years Drunken Barn Dance who didn't get really drunk."  
  
"They have those in Tennessee?"  
  
"Have them? Hell they invented them there. Of course I DID get drunk... and woke up pregnant with Gregory here." She chuckled at the memories, smiling to herself and shaking her head wondrously. "God time just seems to fly by so fast... growing up gives you a whole new perspective on everything."  
  
"Yeah... of course it could be argued that our childhood's were anything but normal." Kyle reminded her.  
  
"True enough..." Wendy agreed as she looked down at her son. He still slept peacefully in her arms, his tiny chest going up and down in time with his breathing. It was hard to believe she'd once been so small. She couldn't help but wonder if other mothers thought the same thing sometimes either. Oh well, it didn't matter anyway.  
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Stan drummed his fingers on the wooden bar in front of him while the two good war buddies laughed and had a merry old time beside him on their own stools. They kept regaling him with fascinating stories about their experiences in wars that had happened before they were even born. They had to have been on their tenth drink each, they were both roaring drunk and Jimbo was literally roaring for more every few minutes or so when he ran out.  
  
"Then, the entire cavern caves in underneath us and Ned yells... The floor's running from us!" Jimbo said excitedly. He and Ned burst into merry laughter again before he down another drink.  
  
"Great... look uncle Jimbo, I should get back before Wendy, you know, cuts my balls off with a butter knife." Stan said seriously as he stood up from the stool.  
  
"No you sit your ass on that seat boy!" Jimbo reached up and slammed his butt down on the stool again hard. He waggled his finger in Stan's general direction as he spoke. "We can't be letting women tell us what to do. We're men goddamnit! And if we want to stay out until five in the morning and pass out on the floor in a puddle of shit, well we can!" He announced proudly.  
  
"As... fun as that sounds, I think I really want to go home to my wife now." Stan told him again.  
  
"Ah whatever, never catch me getting married. Nope, all I need is some porn and booze and women just don't seem important anymore." Stan rolled his eyes and got up from the stool, heading out into the growing darkness of the night as he picked his way back to his parents' house. By the time he got there and went inside the lights were mostly out, only Wendy and Kyle were still in the living room, talking in a hushed tone with Gregory asleep on a pallet on the floor.  
  
"Not cheating on me here are you babe?" Stan asked his wife jokingly as he took off his jacket and threw it on an empty chair.  
  
"I don't know, Kyle didn't run off and leave our son here alone with a bunch of people I wouldn't trust with my cat." Wendy replied with a smirk. Kyle grinned and chuckled while Stan got a bemused look on his face.  
  
"Oooh ouch. I hope Kyle told you why I had to go." Stan said before he leaned down to kiss his wife on the lips gently. She kissed him back, then moved so he could sit next to the arm of the couch. She scooted back up to sit on his lap once he was situated.  
  
"Yeah, don't worry about it." She told him with a steady smile. He smiled back and rubbed her shoulder idly with one hand.  
  
"Well I don't think you guys need me here anymore." Kyle said as he stood up from his chair and reached for his jacket. "I should probably get home, have a lot to do tomorrow."  
  
"See you later dude." Stan said instantly, making Wendy hit him in the shoulder irritably.  
  
"You don't have to go. Nothing special is going to happen anyway." She spoke acidly, never taking her eyes off of her husband. Even in his somewhat tipsy state of mind he could see she was getting a bit fed up with him at the moment.  
  
"Nah, you guys catch up, we can talk during the rehearsal tomorrow." Kyle smiled and winked down at the two before he headed for the door, locking and closing it gently behind him.  
  
"Stan, I wanted him to stick around so we could talk to him, he seems a little depressed for some reason." Wendy hopped off of her husbands lap so she could face him on the couch.  
  
"Kyle? I'll talk to him tomorrow Wendy, really. Come here." Stan took one of her hands in his, trying to pull her back over to him. She sighed but didn't really resist, letting him pull her into a hug while his lips gently caressed her throat.  
  
"I suppose since you're drunk you'll want to fool around huh? God I hate the smell of beer." Wendy smirked when she felt one of his hands running under the back of her shirt.  
  
"I'm not drunk." Stan paused long enough to shoot back before he went back to kissing her neck. Wendy chuckled and rolled her eyes, finally smiling and leaning her head down to get more into the feeling. They couldn't do too much of course, they were sleeping on the couch of his parents' house, but that didn't mean they couldn't have a little fun.  
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Stan's head felt like it had a needle stuck straight through it when he finally regained consciousness the next morning. He groaned and put one hand to his head to try to block out the light that shone through the window on the other side of the room. He could feel his wife on top of him, stirring in response to his movement.  
  
"Oh my head hurts..." He complained softly.  
  
"I knew you were drunk." Wendy poked him in the forehead teasingly. That one poke sent a hundred more spikes shooting through his brain, but he decided not to complain. She climbed off of him to stand on her own two feet, straightening out her shirt and walking over to check on their son still asleep on the floor.  
  
"I almost forgot where we were last night..." Stan said sheepishly.  
  
"Yeah I noticed." Wendy winked at him slyly on her way into the kitchen. He followed behind her, leaning against the doorframe wearily while she fixed them each a cup of coffee. Stan took his mug from her with a grateful smile and they both went back to sit on the couch next to each other. In unison they each took a sip of their coffee... and immediately turned to spit it out over the sides of the couch.  
  
"Jesus, they call this coffee?" Stan asked in astonishment.  
  
"This just won't do." Wendy agreed. They exchanged a quick glance, then without even saying anything they gathered up their stuff, put Gregory in a stroller, and were on their way down the sidewalk toward the nearest Harbucks they could find. When they went in they could smell that aroma of freshly made coffee, much like a summer morning... or just a cup of coffee.  
  
"Two regulars." Stan said as he and Wendy took seats at the bar-like stools near the front of the Harbucks. They both jumped a bit when Tweek popped up seemingly out of the floor and gaped at them in dismay.  
  
"Oh man, why does everyone always want TWO of everything!? Why isn't one enough!?" He exclaimed in a surprisingly high pitched voice for a grown man before he went off in search of the desired coffee.  
  
"... I think he's calmed down a lot." Stan commented with a wry smirk on his face. Wendy chuckled and nodded in agreement. As they waited for their coffee to arrive the front door of the Harbucks swung open again and a plump, though not quite disgustingly so, figure wandered in. He had somewhat of a beard that helped to hide his double chin, making him look more ruggedly handsome than outright fat.  
  
"Hey dude!" His voice betrayed his identity instantly if Stan hadn't already figured it out from the way he looked. "I heard you came into town already.  
  
"Yo Cartman." Stan replied with a greeting nod. "What have you been up to?" Wendy choked on a sip of coffee and smiled a bit nervously at that.  
  
"Nobody told you? I'm getting hitched tomorrow!" Cartman said with a sly grin on his face. Stan stared at him blankly for a few minutes, not quite believing that he was actually the marrying kind of guy.  
  
"Well congrats dude." Stan said finally with a smile. "What bitch did you manage to rope into this?"  
  
"Shelly." Stan stared at him blankly again. "I thought Kyle said he told Wendy, didn't she tell you?" Slowly Stan's head turned to glare at his wife, but she wouldn't meet his gaze. Her face was flushed bright red as she reached down to tend to the baby, though he was still asleep.  
  
"We'll have a little talk about that later." Stan said wryly.  
  
"Well anyway I was wondering if you'd want to... you know... be a best man. Of course Kyle's going to be one but I thought, well..." Cartman hesitated, not being used to saying anything that didn't end in a demand for attention or for his way to be carried out. Obviously Shelly had beaten him into a somewhat decent shape, though Stan guessed if anyone could, it was her.  
  
"Of course I will dude!" Stan smiled and nodded in acceptance.  
  
Cartman grinned at his friend happily. "Sweet, rehearsals this afternoon at two-o-clock. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get a tux that'll fit my manly body." With that he turned to head back for the door. Stan shook his head and tuned back to his coffee, then looked over at his wife again.  
  
"So you hear any exciting news yet?" He asked meaningfully.  
  
"Well you didn't give me a chance to tell you last night." Wendy complained. "You probably would have forgotten by this morning anyway ya drunkard." She playfully hit his arm and smiled at him fetchingly, hoping to take his mind off of her omission. She turned back to her coffee, but before she could take another sip Gregory starting crying from his stroller. "Damnit..." She sighed and reached down to pick her son up and stick a bottle in his mouth. The child sighed with contentment and started sucking on it hungrily.  
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Three hours later Stan and Wendy approached the chapel where the wedding was to be held with Stan pushing the stroller and Wendy carrying the baby. It was bigger than anything they'd known was in South Park, which meant it had probably been built fairly recently. It had the look of a building reserved only for billionaires and rock stars.  
  
"How the hell can they afford this?" Wendy asked in awe as they walked up to the main doors. Cartman exclaimed in pleasant surprise and ran over when he saw them. He was wearing a tuxedo that surprisingly fit his large frame perfectly.  
  
"Hey dude! We're just about ready to start the rehearsals." He said excitedly.  
  
"Great... who the hell is paying for all of this?" Stan just had to ask as they went inside the chapel itself. There were ice-sculptures and paintings all over the place that looked like they were straight out of a museum. A few of them Wendy recognized as really coming from a museum.  
  
"I am." They all whirled to see Beethoven coming toward them with a frown on his face.  
  
"Why are you paying for his wedding?" Stan asked curiously.  
  
"I bet him he'd never get married." Beethoven scoffed angrily. "Seemed like a safe bet at the time. Nearly my entire inheritance is going into this wedding, so you'd all better appreciate it!" He exclaimed.  
  
"Ah don't get your bra in a bunch." Cartman grinned evilly. "It's just a small little get together for me and my wife!"  
  
"A little get together? I think I've seen White House auctions less expensive than this." Wendy commented as she looked up and saw the Mona Lisa itself hanging from one of the highest rafters of the chapel.  
  
"I know for a fact that there have been." Beethoven remarked dryly.  
  
"Bah shove it up your ass Beet-boy, you made the bet you stick by it!" Cartman reverted back to his old selfish attitude and waggled his finger at the once rich kid who was probably being drained just by this wedding. "Whatever we want, that's what you said!"  
  
"Yeah yeah I'm keeping my promise." Beethoven smirked. "Don't blame me though when I have to steal money from your house to make ends meet."  
  
"That's your problem, now if you'll excuse me I have to go find my blushing bride." Cartman stomped off in a huff like he'd just been mortally insulted.  
  
"I'd be blushing too if I was marrying that tub of fat..." Wendy remarked under her breath. Stan and Beethoven chuckled wildly, though they tried to hide it from the other guests. Their attention was drawn to the front of the chapel as the pastor and the wedding coordinators started rounding up people to begin the rehearsal.  
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Much later that night after a long, exhausting day of rehearsals, Stan, Wendy, Shelly, Cartman, and Kyle went back to the Marsh house to catch up with each other and relax a little bit. Stan and Wendy sat on the couch, huddled together while Gregory lied on his pallet on the floor, playing with his little rattles. Cartman and Shelly were on the other end of the couch huddled together with Kyle sitting on a lone chair beside the sofa.  
  
"When did you two start going out?" Stan asked his sister curiously.  
  
"A few months ago." Shelly replied simply.  
  
"Why?" Wendy asked before she could thinking through.  
  
"Why do you think?" Cartman shot back sarcastically.  
  
"Oh no I didn't man that, I just meant with the age difference and all..." Wendy started.  
  
"Does it matter?" Shelly demanded through tightly pressed lips. Wendy slowly shook her head, gulping and praying she hadn't just signed her own death warrant.  
  
"Well I think we're off now, we have a long day... and night ahead of us." Cartman looked at Shelly and grinned in anticipation. She smiled back and stood up with him, taking his hand in hers. They left the house, closing the door quietly behind them so they wouldn't wake up the two grandparents.  
  
Stan shivered once they were gone. "There's an image I don't need, Cartman and my sister..."  
  
Kyle couldn't help a laugh that escaped his throat. "At least it's not the old really fat Cartman."  
  
"Aw dude, stop!" Stan threw one hand over his mouth as though he was about to throw up right there. Kyle and Wendy laughed wildly though Wendy regained her composure quickly.  
  
"Stan you should try to be happy for them, your sister is getting married tomorrow." She said sensibly.  
  
"Yeah, not every day you find someone you feel like spending your life with." Kyle said softly. Stan and Wendy both turned to study his face curiously as he spoke. "I don't think you two realize how lucky you are. You've been together since you were five years old and you're still as close as you always were." She chuckled softly at himself and gave them a forced smile. "But I'm starting to sound like one of those bitter old farts aren't I? Goodnight." Quickly he got up and left through the front door, closing it behind him quickly.  
  
Stan and Wendy exchanged a somewhat worried glance once he was gone, but there really wasn't much they could do about it. They could just try to do what they could to help him while they were here.  
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The next day, the feeling of anticipation is thick in the air with all of the guests taking their seats in the isles of the magnificently decorated chapel. Cartman, Stan, and Kyle were in the grooms dressing room waiting for the wedding to start. Cartman was sweating a little bit, suddenly getting nervous as every man did who was faced with the dreaded podium.  
  
"Welp this is it... I'm getting married... to Shelly..." Cartman said to himself under his breath. "Oh man I'm gonna pass out." He said nervously.  
  
"Oh no you don't! If you pass out, we'd have to carry you down the isle and we'd probably break our backs." Kyle pointed out with a delightful chuckle.  
  
"And our legs, and our ribcages..." Stan agreed with a grin.  
  
"Fat jokes!? I'm about to get married and you're throwing fat jokes at me!?" Cartman demanded angrily.  
  
"Lighten up dude, it's a happy day, just think happy thoughts." Kyle advised him in a sagely tone of voice.  
  
"Thanks alot Tinkerbell." Cartman grumbled irritably.  
  
"And just think, once you get through the wedding DAY, you get to the wedding NIGHT." Kyle walked up and put one arm over Cartman's shoulders, winking at him slyly. Cartman grinned back eagerly at that thought.  
  
"Yeah, it's really not such a big deal. All marriage is, is getting a piece of paper saying you're allowed to have sex." Stan said, though he obviously still had a little trouble imagining his sister and Cartman together in any way.  
  
"Okay... okay I think I'm ready." Cartman gulping, wiping at his forehead with a spare washcloth. Stan and Kyle smiled at each other slyly and put their hands on his back, practically pushing him out to the chapel to wait for the wedding to begin, and the bride to show up.  
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In the bride's dressing room, Angelica and Bebe were busy trying to tie up the back of Shelly's dress. It was a little bit small on her, but she refused to admit she was any bigger than this size, so they just had to try to squeeze her into this dress. Their own dresses however were a lot smaller, but not because they were the wrong size.  
  
"There I... I think I got it!" Bebe shouted triumphantly when she finally managed to tie up the last of the strings in the back. Shelly turned around gracefully, letting the hem of the dress whirl around her ankles. "I still think this is far too good for Cartman, are you sure about this Shelly?"  
  
"Yes I'm sure about this, I know you little bitches are too stuck up to see through his skin but he's really a great guy. He understands me unlike all of you." Shelly huffed and whirled back toward the mirror to study herself happily. "I do look great."  
  
"I don't know Shelly, how can you like someone who wants the bridesmaids to wear hooker outfits?" Angelica studied her own dress. It was a small blue number that looked more like a leather girdle than a real dress, where Cartman had seen it was beyond her but it must have been a sex store somewhere. "For Gods sakes it even has a zipper over the crotch!"  
  
"Will you shut the hell up and be happy for me already?" Shelly demanded angrily. "I'm getting married here and you two bitches are the closest things I have to friends! Now smile and be happy goddamnit!" She shouted.  
  
"You ever think you might have more friends if you didn't scream at everyone?" Bebe suggested as she grabbed the veil and helped Shelly slip it on over her hair. The older girl smirked at that and put her hands up to fit it snugly on her head, looking at herself in the mirror.  
  
They all looked at the door as it opened halfway and Pip poked his head in quickly. "Excuse me ladies, but the wedding is going to begin any minute now, I believe it might be best to hurry." He told them.  
  
"Thanks, we'll be out there in a minute." Angelica replied. He ducked out of the room again and Shelly walked over to the door as gracefully as she knew how. She whirled in place, smiling at her two bridesmaids happily for the first time that day.  
  
"Well girls, this is it." She paused a moment and looked down at her feet, blushing a little and closing her eyes as she spoke. "Thanks..." She finally said with a smile on her face.  
  
"Hey no problem, someone has to do it... no matter what the uniform looks like." Bebe replied with a happy smile on her face as well. Shelly nodded and turned to head out to the main hall where the music was already playing as the ring-bearers and such were being led down the isle.  
  
"Let's go, it's showtime." Angelica smirked and walked out with Bebe beside her. They knew they would put on quite a show just walking down the isle in these outfits, but they weren't here to be comfortable, they were here to support Shelly no matter how mean she could be sometimes.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Cartman waited nervously at the head of the isle while the almost eerie sound of the pipe organ echoed through the chapel. After everyone had taken their seats, the music halted in mid-beat and picked up again, this time in the familiar tune of the Wedding March. His heart raced in his chest when he caught the first sight of his bride-to-be being led down the isle by her father, Randy. Her white dress flowed around her feet like a cloud as she walked in the steady march that was always used in weddings.  
  
When she reached the head of the isle Shelly let go of her fathers' arm and walked up the few steps to where Cartman was still waiting for her. She wrapped her arm through his as they both turned to face the pastor as they had been told to do during the rehearsal.  
  
"You may now read your vows." The pastor told them. It took Cartman a moment to get his bearings before he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper to read from.  
  
"It's been a long time since I realized how different you were from most girls. I just didn't know how good you were until recently. I only hope that even though I'm not the best looking man on the planet... that I can still be enough for you." He paused to look up and smiles at her a moment before he returned to his reading. "No matter how fat I may be..." He paused again, frowning. He hadn't written these vows himself since he wasn't a poet. "Um... I'll never value food over your love." He glared over the audience at James, who was lying back in his seat with a grin on his face.  
  
"Even a big, juicy steak can't compare to your two huge..." He stopped reading the paper and crumpled it up angrily, throwing it to the ground. "Shelly, I love you, and I always will." Everyone sat in stunned silence for a few minutes, staring at them. Finally the preacher shook his head and spoke again.  
  
"Okay... Shelly, your vows?" Shelly doesn't even pull out a sheet of paper, instead simply looking into Cartmans eyes steadily with a smile on her face.  
  
"You were the first person to see me as anything but an ugly bitch. Everyone lately has told me I'm making a mistake, that you're a good for nothing pig with no future to speak of." She paused a moment to collect her thoughts, a little too long for Cartmans taste but she finally continued. "But you've already done more for me than anyone else. I'm not especially pretty, kind, or rich... but I know I can be a good wife." She finished, smiling at him broadly.  
  
"Now place the ring on her finger and repeat. With this ring, I thee wed." The priest said kindly. Stan started feeling himself for the rings, searching increasingly frantically.  
  
"Come on dude, that's the oldest joke in the book." Kyle grumbled.  
  
"Seriously, I can't find them!" Stan said urgently. Cartman glared at him angrily as he watched him search for the rings he was supposed to have brought up with him.  
  
"Ah fuck it." Cartman grumbled as he reached up and removed the snow hat that he still wore everywhere he went. He reached up and slipped it on his wife's head over the veil. "With this hat I thee wed." Shelly and several audience members chuckled at this, but everyone had smiles on their faces.  
  
"Close enough." The priest said jokingly. "Since there is no other ring, this will do. Go ahead and kiss the bride." Cartman reached up and tried to pull the veil off, but his hat held it firmly in place, keeping the veil between their faces.  
  
"Goddamnit!" He exclaimed in frustration. Finally Shelly reached up and ripped the hat and veil right off before she grabbed her husband and kissed him fiercely. The audience burst into a mixture of applause and a little bit of laughter, but spirits were light and the couple was finally united after a rather trying ceremony. It felt good to have it over with, but it felt even better to have his new wife in his arms like this.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Stan and Kyle stood near the back of the chapel where the guests had migrated to for the reception. They were sipping drinks and talking companionably when Wendy walked up to them with a very active and giggling Gregory in her arms.  
  
"How could you forget the rings Stan? I reminded you to bring them this morning!" She exclaimed angrily.  
  
"Hey it was an accident! It's fine, they're married and like they're going to be wearing anything tonight anyway." Stan joked drolly. Kyle chuckled, but Wendy didn't seem to find it so funny.  
  
"But it was supposed to be their night. You almost ruined the wedding Stan." She told him.  
  
"Don't exaggerate so much, it's not ruined." Before Stan could say anything else he felt something slam into the back of his head, sending him tumbling to the ground painfully.  
  
"That's for ruining my wedding asshole!" Cartman shouted with a full wine bottle in his hand. "Now where's James?" He grumbled to himself as he wandered off into the reception, hiding the bottle behind his back. Kyle kneeled down to help his friend climb back to his feet, wobbling a bit but otherwise alright.  
  
"I hate to say it but you deserved that one Stan." Wendy shook her head and turned to wander off again, leaving Stan leaning against the side of the chapel and Kyle trying to keep him upright.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Shelly... of all people!" Angelica's speech slurred slightly as she slammed her fourth glass of wine on the table. Her and Bebe were still wearing their 'bridesmaids' outfits since they hadn't had time to change. "Not only did she get married first, but we still look like a pair of hookers!" She exclaimed angrily.  
  
"Well I'm sick of it, I'm going to protest!" Bebe raised her drink high above her head, sloshing a little but not really seeming to care.  
  
"Here here!" Angelica raised her own glass up to Bebe's to clink them together. She lowered her glass and turned around when she felt a finger tap her shoulder.  
  
"Hey, how much for a three-way?" Clyde asked before bursting into wild laughter right in front of them. Angelica irritably slammed her fist into his face and turned to Bebe again without missing a beat.  
  
"Let's go protest!" She agreed before they both stumbled away from the drink stand.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Stan grunted to himself and sat on the snow, rubbing his head painfully. Him and Kyle looked up when two men walked up to them. One was James, rubbing his own head after an obvious encounter with Cartman. The other one had a cigarette sticking out of one side of his mouth.  
  
"I knew no god would come of this." James said irritably.  
  
"Ah shut up..." Stan grunted irritably before he turned his attention tot he stranger. "So I know you from somewhere?" He pushed himself up to his feet with his back against the wall.  
  
The man pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and smirked, speaking in a straight French accent. "I should zink so Stan." He said.  
  
"The Mole?" Stan's eyes widened with surprised when he realized that it was true. "You've changed man."  
  
"I could say ze same thing about you." Mole replied with a grin. He looked about to say something else, but Angelica and Bebe marched up to them important, shouting almost incoherent slogans until they came to a stop and started talking more sensibly.  
  
"We're here to protest!" Angelica shouted loudly, as if there wasn't a group of people right in front of her.  
  
"Yeah! These outfits are ridiculous and pathetic!" Bebe shouted.  
  
"I agree." James said sympathetically.  
  
"Well we want something done about it!" Bebe took another sip of her drink.  
  
"What do you want us to do about it? Go complain to Cartman about it or something." Stan suggested sensibly.  
  
"Nah, he'd just bean us with a wine bottle. He's been deadly with that thing tonight." Angelica pointed out. Stan and James both groaned and nodded in agreement with that sentiment. From the other side of the yard Shelly stood on a podium and shouted.  
  
"Hey, time for the bouquet toss!" She shouted excitedly. Every woman in the courtyard ran to join the crowd gathering behind her podium except for Wendy, who was already married. The women waited impatiently while Shelly turned around and held the bouquet out in front of her.  
  
"This should be entertaining." Kyle remarked.  
  
Stan grinned back at his friend. "You should have seen the one at our wedding."  
  
Finally Shelly flung the bouquet behind her toward the waiting throng of hopeful women. Instantly it dissolved into a melee as everyone present scrambled to get underneath it. When it came down it vanished into the crowd for several minutes until finally Bebe thrust herself out of the crowd, proudly holding up the now bare stems of the flowers and declaring herself the one who caught it.  
  
"Damn dude, what happened to the rest of it?" Kyle asked curiously.  
  
"The stems are better than my wedding, all that was left was the plastic wrap it came in." Stan said ironically.  
  
Wendy stood up from her seat and walked up to Bebe, smiling happily. "Congratulations, you have anyone in mind?" She asked slyly.  
  
"Nah, I don't think so." Bebe replied, though she shot Kyle a discreet glance as she spoke. A moment later her and Wendy turned to head toward the snack stand together.  
  
"I think she has it out for you Kyle." Stan grinned and patted his friend on the shoulder.  
  
"You think so? Nah I don't know..." A blush crept onto Kyle's face and he looked down at the snow.  
  
"Bah just come on!" Stan grabbed his hand and dragged him over to where Wendy and Bebe were having a nice chat, munching on some food. Even Gregory was slurping on the bottle they'd brought along.  
  
"Congrats Bebe." Stan said as he dragged Kyle up to the two women forcefully.  
  
"Thanks." Bebe replied with a happy smile on her face.  
  
"Are you read to go Wendy?" Stan asked his wife.  
  
"Already?" Wendy looked back at her husband in surprise. He jerked his head discreetly toward Kyle, who was blushing and trying not to look directly at Bebe. "Oh... yeah I guess so." She stood up and smiled down at Bebe apologetically. "Sorry, we have to leave early tomorrow morning, we have jobs to do in the afternoon."  
  
"Aw, well I'll make sure to see you tomorrow before you leave." Bebe grinned hugged Wendy quickly before she could leave. Then Stan and Wendy turned to head across the yard of the chapel slowly, with Gregory still looking around at everything with wide, searching eyes.  
  
"Good to see old friends again." Stan looked back at the snack stand where Butters and Pip seemed to be debating over a piece of cake.  
  
"Yeah... it almost makes me wish we'd never left." Wendy commented. They both looked up when Angelic ran up to them, still looking a bit tipsy, but slightly more sensible now.  
  
"Hey guys, time for the wedding portrait, we need all of their family so get your asses over here!" She didn't even wait for them to respond before she bolted back to where Kyle was still talking with Bebe. Stan and Wendy exchanged a shrug and went to where the group was forming in front of a camera. Everyone who was related to the bride and groom was gathered in that one place, talking among themselves and waiting impatiently to get this over with.  
  
Finally they had everyone present and Angelica got behind the camera, reigning herself in enough to steady the camera and get it focused on the group. "Okay now everyone say, hooker outfits suck." Half the crowd laughed while the other half actually repeated it, but everyone was smiling when she snapped the picture. She took the photo from the camera and fanned it out to make it develop.  
  
"What the hell..." She stared at it curiously once it was developed enough to become visible. Shelly finally got fed up with waiting and ran up to rip the picture from her grasp. She frowned angrily when she saw it, looking around. "Who the hell else was in the shot!?" She demanded.  
  
"Someone else? Nobody I think." Cartman walked up and took the picture from her to look at it curiously. Even his eyes went wide when he saw it, his face draining of almost all color. "Jesus Christ..."  
  
"What is it!?" Stan ran up to rip the picture from him and look down at it. The breath drained from his lungs and his heart leapt when he saw the image that had formed. Everyone was standing as they should be, but standing on the snow beside Wendy and was a barely visible image of a boy about eight years old. His tan shirt and blond hair was unmistakable. He looked at the camera with an odd expression on his face, but his body was transparent against the background.  
  
"Stan what is it?" Wendy's voice shook with nervousness when she saw her husbands' reaction to the picture. He didn't say a word as he handed it down to her, letting her look at it. Her grip on her son tightened unconsciously when she saw it. "Gregory..." She mumbled to herself under her breath. "Does anybody mind if I keep this?" she asked everyone else.  
  
"It's yours." Angelica agreed as she got back behind the camera to re-take the picture. Everyone seemed to be in far worse spirits now for various reasons for everyone. Stan knew though that it was something much more for Wendy, after so long to have him dug up again. What could it possibly mean, why would he appear in the picture...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The next day on the edge of town Stan and Wendy were exchanging farewells with the last of the South Park citizens who would miss them. Bebe was talking with Wendy while Kyle was having a few words with Stan.  
  
"I'd wish you good luck dude, but somehow I don't think you need it." He said as he took his friend hand and shook it firmly. Stan smiled back and gave a nod of his head in acceptance.  
  
"Thanks, you too dude." Finally Stan yanked his friend into a hug, patting each others backs before they pulled away from each other.  
  
Bebe walked up to Wendy and started talking immediately down to Gregory. "I'm gonna miss you, yes I will." She said cutely before she finally looked up at her friend, as though just realizing she was there. "Oh yeah and you too of course." Wendy laughed and pulled her into a familiar hug.  
  
"Come on Wendy, we should get going if we want to make it in time." Stan walked up to the convertible and climbed in, watching as Wendy climbed in the other side and strapped Gregory into his seat in the back.  
  
"Goodbye you guys! Good luck! Oh, and tell Shelly and Cartman I expect baby pictures in nine months!" Wendy called out to them as Stan started the engine with a loud roar.  
  
"If you ever need a babysitter call me, I'll fly down if I have to!" Bebe shouted with a wide grin.  
  
"I'll see you guys!" Kyle called after them. The red convertible pulled back into the snow so it could turn and head back up the hill toward the infamous sign that signaled exit and entry into South Park. At the top Stan pulled the car to a stop and looked over at Wendy, who seemed unusually quiet all of a sudden.  
  
"It's funny..." Wendy pulled out the picture from last night and stared at it curiously. "This is one of the smallest towns in the world, but it's played such a large part in everything, including our lives... maybe we should stay here." She suggested.  
  
Stan thoughtfully looked back over the town, his eyes focusing in on hat used to be his house. "No... everything has to have an end, even our lives in one small town. We have other lives now."  
  
"Yeah... other lives..." Slowly Wendy turned back to look at Gregory, who was staring up at her with wide, curious eyes. His expression was eerily familiar at the moment, one she saw just last night, and had captured on the picture. "The question is... whose lives?" She asked softly.  
  
"Are you okay Wendy?" Stan asked worriedly.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be okay." She replied. They were both startled when the car-phone began to ring loudly. Stan smirked and reached down to hit the speakerphone.  
  
Shelly's voice came over the phone, sounding unusually light and bouncy for her. "Hey guys, we almost forgot to say goodbye, take care of yourselves." She said quickly. Cartman's voice came from the background though it was too muffled for them to make out. "Eric s... stop that!" She laughed wildly before the line suddenly went dead, leaving the steady tone to tell them she was now otherwise occupied.  
  
Stan and Wendy exchange a knowing glance and smile at each other, remembering their own honeymoon. "Come on Wendy... let's go home." Stan said softly as he reached forward to put the car in gear. The convertible drove down the road away from South Park, and none of its occupants looked back again. They had their own lives to get back to now, different from their old ones, but they would no longer have it any other way.  
  
THE END  
  
Ending theme: Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) by Green Day  
  
Another turning point  
A fork stuck in the road  
Time grabs you by the wrist  
Directs you where to go  
So make the best of this test  
And don't ask why  
It's not a question  
But a lesson learned in time  
  
It's something unpredictable   
But in the end it's right  
I hope you had the time of your life  
  
So take the photographs  
And still frames in your mind  
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time  
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial  
For what it's worth  
It was worth all the while  
  
It's something unpredictable   
But in the end it's right  
I hope you had the time of your life  
  
It's something unpredictable  
But in the end it's right  
I hope you had the time of your life  
  
It's something unpredictable  
But in the end it's right  
I hope you had the time of your life... 


End file.
